New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-09
FISHERS CHURCH HISTORY.

HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH liy
GEORGE PARK FISHER. ID. d.. IL. ID. Titus street
Professor of Ecclesiastical History in Yale nj
versity. With Maps PIP KILL 7ol. Charles hcriOners
Sons.
It's high praise of this book of Professor Fishers to
saw that in 1t he successfully meets the numerous and
enormous difficulties In the way OF condensns the
history years into less than half as many pages
The first stumbn: block the temptation to write as
partisan. Nearly all the histories of the Church,
published before the Reformation mi ht have been moro
properly called apologies or poemcs so bent were they
OH Interpreting the Of history in the interest OF
some sect on school This is enough 10 impair the value
Of the best OF them seriously, apart frsm their uncil
cal mir Cling fable and legend with tho narrative OF
we'll attested facts Nor did the Reformation end this
The historical writings of Protestans were not to
be from those OF their opponents in point
of blind zeal for party. Lutheran and Catholic alke
the Magdeburgers a. truly as Bsronius, were more
advocates than inquirers Not until Mosheim was the
history of the Church handled in spirit OF large and
CAIN impsrality And it need not be said that many
have written since hi. day who have failed to profit by
his example In spite Of tho greater accuracy OF method
searching investigation. OF the closer sitting
OF evidence which have been coming in steadily from
year to year. still too many who write Of the
past OF Christianity nn1sr tia spell OF that
obstructive thesrizing whence the fact
Looks 10 the eye as The eye likes the look"
All will agree that Professor Fisher is remarkably
free from this or course he writes as Protestant
But lie does not write as Cengregatienalist. Much
less Ices he write the champion Of any division OF
CengrcgatIonalism On such test matters as the
primitive mode Of baptism and the development OF
tho epscopse he speaks with what seems to us absolute
impariiality This is because lie limits himself to the
mere statement of the things 10 which scholars are
now at ono, aud leaves tho bisots and see,arans
entirely out the question. If were to find fault
with any part Of his work. on this scsre 1t would be
with his handling fhe Church Of the Middle Ages, and
his estimate of the Schoascs. We think nc lacks some
thing of tho insight of Maurice in psrcsvins tho
Provden,ia necessity. 10 speak Of such form OF
Christianity as was the medieval, and of the broad
Judgment OF iallam In rightly placing the Scholastic
theologians
difficulty mere related 10 workmanship than spirit
that Of making good division Of the vast stretch Of
time 10 DO treated, into periods. The MadgsDurg
Centuries" and the "AnBals" Of Baronus are
instances valuable material almost spoiled
in the presenting. The movements Of Church
history not enacted with an eye to the convenience
OF historians They overlap and break through all
artificial divisions Of time. To try to force them Into
the Prscrustes bed of symmefric.l scheme Of time
divisions arrangement Of topics 70 dsstrsy all their
laes. Professor Fisher does not attempt this. His
grand divisions OF his subject tho three great sras are
based upon grand differences In NovoInsnt aud char
seteistic. His nine periods chronological
convsnenccs. bat mark stages Of growth and change
In short lie fits his system the facts net the facts TO
his system.
difficulty of especial concern for a compsnd of the
sort Professor Fisher has undertaken to avoid the
danger OF making compact treatment take the form of
catalogung. His not the first manual Of Church
history. And dismal reading some Of his predecessors
have BEEN with their trees numerous and prominent
that 10 forest could be Lists OF facts and dates
do not mako historical narrative. History Ia some
thing different frsm chronology. Something OF
the dryness which results from the heapi.E up
Of details is. Of course, Inevitable in work which
esadensss book intoa liae Surprisingly little Of It,
however, is to be found In these pages. Professor
Fisher eye fer facts which are salient. fer
dates which are in themselves ePochs His skill In
grouping and In selecting is such that the flow OF his
narrative scarcely ever becomes intermittent 1t may
safey b said that no succeeded better In
tscking such Infinite riches In little room.
nnal dimculiy which must beset aAy one essaying